What is a Dental Implant?
A dental implant is a high-tech replacement tooth that mimics the whole tooth structure. A titanium “root” is snugly inserted into the bone and is used to support a crown, bridge or denture. It looks, feels and acts like a real tooth and can last a lifetime if properly cared for.
Dental implant technology has become the state-of-the-art tooth replacement solution because of its advantages over earlier treatments. And, with modern innovations in dentistry, most patients can benefit from them – even those who were formerly told they could not.
Who are candidates for Dental Implants?
If you have one or more missing teeth, or have broken or decayed teeth that might be beyond repair, implants are usually the answer. If you’re uncomfortable with your dentures, partial denture, or bridge, you could benefit from implant technology.
Benefits and advantages of Dental Implants
Advantages of dental implants include:
1. Natural appearance: Dental implants are very similar to natural teeth and look and feel like real teeth, providing a more natural aesthetic result.
2. Durable: Compared to traditional dentures, dental implants are more durable and can last for decades or even a lifetime because they are tightly integrated with the jawbone.
3. Protect adjacent teeth: Compared with traditional bridges, dental implants do not require grinding of adjacent teeth, thereby protecting healthy tooth tissue.
4. Improve chewing function: Dental implants provide better chewing function, allowing patients to eat normally and improve digestion and nutrient absorption.
5. Promote bone stability: Dental implants can imitate the function of natural tooth roots, helping to maintain the stability and health of the jaw and avoid bone loss.
6. Improve oral health and speech expression: Dental implants help maintain oral health, improve speech expression, and make patients more confident.
7. Convenience and comfort: Dental implants are as easy to clean and maintain as natural teeth. Patients do not need additional special care procedures, and they are more convenient and comfortable to use.
Dental Implants vs Dentures
Stable teeth with good chewing power!
Dental implants provide a far superior experience compared to dentures. Even dentures that originally fit the patient well begin to slip and become uncomfortable after a while, due to increasing bone loss.
It’s difficult to keep any denture continually stable due to wear on the bony ridges that dentures clasp onto. The most frustrating aspect of dentures, and the unhealthiest, is their poor chewing ability. many have to limit their diets because they are unable to chew certain foods with their dentures.
If you are deciding between traditional dentures or an implant-supported restoration, here are some things to consider.
Dentures often have to be kept in the mouth by using a dental adhesive. This sometimes requires re-glues after meals. An implant-supported denture requires no adhesive.
Dentures have to be removed for cleaning. With the exception of a removable implant-retained denture, your implant-supported restoration can be cared for by brushing and flossing.
Dentures cover the roof of the mouth. With implants, there’s nothing covering the roof of your mouth to interfere with your sense of taste or other normal activities. Implant-supported dentures can also be fabricated without a palate.
Dentures can slip out while eating or speaking. Implants and implant-supported dentures are securely anchored and won’t slip out.
It’s hard to chew with dentures and you can’t eat a lot of food you like or need. Dentures can move while you chew, which is annoying, and also makes it difficult to chew! In fact, dentures generally have only 10% or less of full chewing power. Dental implants have full chewing power and implant-supported bridges or dentures also considerably increase the chewing power.
Dentures may click while eating. With implants or implant-supported dentures, there’s no annoying clicking sound.
Dentures don’t provide the stimulation needed to prevent bone loss. The jawbone needs to have the stimulation of high-pressure chewing to keep its volume. Implants ensure no jaw bone is lost.
Progressive bone loss as a result of wearing dentures can cause facial collapse. Over the years bone loss can cause the collapse of the lower third of your face, creating excessive wrinkles, sagging skin and jowls, thinning lips and a sunken-in look. This can considerably age a person’s appearance. Implants prevent bone loss.
Dental Implants vs. Dental bridges
A Dental Implant is a more affordable and natural replacement than a Dental Bridge
A bridge consists of a false tooth (or teeth) supported by adjacent teeth that have been capped. It is used to replace one or two missing teeth.
A bridge requires two often healthy teeth to be altered, which is not an ideal way of replacing a missing tooth compared to a dental implant. Bridges tend to have short lives, five to ten years, compared to a dental implant, which can last a lifetime. So while a bridge can sometimes be more economical at first, in the long run a dental implant can cost you less.